have a very unusual questionwhyisthatwomenareconsideredaHigh riskpregnacywithseizure? - Epilepsy Message Board

bevin 30 · 08-15-2007, 09:33 AM

hello my name is bevin and i am a thirty year old woman who suffers from a seizure disorder but one thing I can not understand is why a woman like me would be considered a high risk pregnancy just because of my seizure disorder.For me To have a child when I am married in the Future will be so hard because not only do I have to go off the medicine for seizures but i have to be off of it the entire time I am pregnant and be on the epilepsy registry for woman who are pregnant. i have a choice to make do I go off my medicine to have a child with my future husband( when we meetand are married) and risk damaging the fetus with a possible recurrent seizure attack or do I have some one else carry my egg and my future (to meet and marry)husbands sperm in her uterus to help the baby develop with out any problems. I NEED ADVICE WHAT DO i DO BECAUSE I Feel trapped because of the hard choice that needs to be made when it comes to my having children when I marry . I feel as though sometimes I have to make an impossible choice when it comes having healthychildren due to these hard heartwrenching awful decisions that need to be made. Any advice is welcomed and very much appreciated. Thinking about these things in my future makes me cry from frustration and hurt over these painful choices.

Sherri5186 · 08-15-2007, 09:55 AM

Hi,

You will have to be careful if you have catamenial epilepsy
(around menstruation)because alot of women whose progesterone
levels get low and can cause the seizures.Well,low progesterone
can also make it more difficult to get pregnant and a better chance
of miscarriages.Sorry to tell you the bad news,I never had children,
but,I have heard that alot of women with E. have had successful
and healthy children.There may be meds out there now,that do not
have as high a risk as the ones out there 20 years ago when I was
considering having a baby.

Good-luck,Sherri

bevin 30 · 08-15-2007, 10:41 AM

thankyou sherri for explaning about the progesterone factor during pregnancy and how that affects getting and being pregnant . But my seizures are classified as non specific but it is still a seizure disorder and I still will have to be careful if the progesterone dips low. that gives me some information to mull over.

Sk8ter Girl 23 · 08-16-2007, 09:23 PM

Hi Bevon 30, nice to meet you and have the pleasure of sharing my experience with you. I am 26 as of today and have a four year old. I have been having seizures for 16 years and that was always one of my big questions. I had my daughter having a seizure disorder and being on meds. I was on Trileptal when I had my little girl. I was considered high risk and had 18 ultrasounds so we always new how and what my baby was up too. I just want to tell you don't give up because it is possible and I also had 2 grand mal seizures whil carrying my little girl and she came out perfect in every way. My husband and I are very greatful about that and am getting ready for surgery to try to fix my seizure disorder so we can have our next. Keep your chin up and don't give up.
Talk to you again and if you have any questions feel free to ask,
Sk8ter Girl 23

SentenceDoing · 08-17-2007, 01:59 PM

I've heard of many women having healthy babies while having epilepsy/seizure disorder. My neuro told me that in the future, when I'm at the point of trying to get pregnant, I'd have to switch my meds, because Tegretol can be dangerous for the fetus. But there are a couple of meds out there that you can take while pregnant that are more safe for the baby.

I have a questions for Sherri-- I have Catamenial Epilepsy... but I get most of my seizures around the time of my period, and not as many when I'm ovulating... does this mean I'd have more seizures or less when I'm pregnant, because one of the hormones seems to affect me more than the other... Does this mean I have low progesterone and won't be able to get pregnant? I've actually never heard that before...